Bryant Gumbel Compares NBA Commissioner To Slave Driver

Respected sports journalistBryant Gumbel has caught himself in a bit of a scandal. Tuesday on his show, HBO’s brilliant docu-series, Real Sports,he compared national basketball association commissioner David Stern to a plantation owner/operator.

The quote was that Stern “always seemed eager to be viewed as some kind of modern plantation overseer treating NBA men as if they were his boys.” This was in reference to the NBA lockout…

The players (who make an average of $5.15 million dollars a year, though top players can earn over $20) are demanding a raise, and Stern/other NBA “overseers” are holding tight on the matter, refusing to bump it up an extra two million.

I have no idea what Gumbel was trying to convey with his comment, since he’s NORMALLY sensible. I tend to agree with him on a regular basis but this is just a crazy comparison. One you have to shrug off as simple carelessness and childish exaggeration.

I don’t feel like these athletes deserve to get paid even half of what they are earning in the first place, so how can anyone compare David Stern to a slave driver?

It’s like when you say your teacher or family member is a Nazi, or Hitler. It’s a fantasy statement, we use it for laughs, and because we’re suckers for drama.

[Random fact: Kobe Bryant made $24.8 for his “contributions” to the L.A. Lakers in the 2010-2011 season]